Review of Gurf Morlix CD- Last Exit To Happyland

Gurf Morlix new cd LAST EXIT TO HAPPYLAND is anything but, unless he missed the ramp. Don’t get me wrong it is an exquisitely beautiful work in it’s bare bones simplicity, but there is a theme of regret that runs through the songs.

Nothing illustrates this more than the opening track, “One More Second”. It is a cautionary tale of a man who sets out to do murder and is filled with remorse the instant he pulls the trigger. Then there is the song “Crossroads”, where we are given another take on the old blues fable of encountering the devil at the crossroads and striking a deal.

It is timely, because in these days we are all more acutely aware of the collective cost of our lust for more of the world. He reminds us there is a price to pay for making that deal, as he sings, “you’re gonna get cut and you’re gonna bleed.”

This theme of regret doesn’t just lurk in the hearts of murderers and those who make deals with devil, for Gurf captures the universal experience of lost love perfectly in the song “She’s A River.” It is a beautiful sad lament about a relationship that’s ended and the sometimes fragile, transient nature of love. This is a missed love that like a river has moved on and the regret is palpable, made even more so by the accompanying harmony vocal from Patty Griffin.

Gurf is known probably more for his production skills than his songwriting, but he is accomplished at both, having released five solo CD’s and played on, engineered and produced artists like Lucinda Williams, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Slaid Cleaves, Mary Gauthier, Peter Case, Robert Earl Keen, Jim Lauderdale, Tom Russell, and Ruthie Foster. That is just a partial list, go to <a href="http://www.gurfmorlix.com/discography.html “>Gurf Discograhy for the complete discography.

It is easy to see why he is such a sought after producer, for the production on “Last Exit To Happyland” is sparse, yet the effect is not bone-chilling, rather it is as if he has stripped the song down deeper than bone to the life-giving marrow that sustains the structure of the song, pulsing right through to our hearts.

If you wish to hear an audio review of the Gurf Morlix CD “Last Exit To Happyland”, then go to <a href="http://www.folksalad.com/Reviews.html “>CD REVIEW where you will find a review with snippets of the songs mentioned in this review as well as reviews of Patty Griffin, The Wailin’ Jennys, Joan Osborne, Ray Wylie Hubbard and others.
SMA

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